Raymond Luedeke

Biography

Born in New York City, composer Ray Luedeke attended the Eastman School of Music, the Vienna Academy of Music, Northwestern University, and Dartmouth College, where he studied with George Crumb. His output is extensive and varied. It runs the gamut from entertaining theater pieces for children, through a long list of sophisticated solo and chamber music to colorful, carefully crafted pieces for orchestra.

Recordings of his music include Shadow Music with the Louisville Orchestra, The Transparency of Time with pianist Andre LaPlante and the Winnipeg Symphony, The Moon in the Labyrinth and The Lyre of Orpheus with harpist Judy Loman and the Orford String Quartet, Brass Quintet with the New Mexico Brass Quintet, Circus Music with the Hannaford Street Silver Band, and Ah, Matsushima! with violin/marimba duo Jacques and Michael Israelievitch.  Quartetto Gelato has recorded Ray’s brilliant arrangement of Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and has performed it worldwide.

 The striking originality and meticulous craftsmanship of his music have been recognized by numerous grants and awards, among them prizes from the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, from the Percussive Arts Society, from the International Horn Society, and from Northwestern University. His contest winning orchestral Fanfare, opened Toronto’s Thomson Hall and his overture The North Wind’s Gift was performed throughout Europe in the 1991 tour of the Toronto Symphony. Six Canadian orchestras jointly commissioned Tales of the Netsilik for narrator and orchestra.

 Ray Luedeke is an experienced librettist. He collaborated with playwright Sean Dixon for his first opera, Wild Flowers, produced at The Guelph Spring Festival. Subsequently, he worked with acclaimed director/dramaturge Tom Diamond to write the libretto for his second opera, The Magical Singing Drum, and the script for The Art of Love/Into the Labyrinth for two pianos, visuals and actor. The distinguished Canadian playwright Guillermo Verdecchia served as dramaturge for Ray’s script for his third opera, Viva Pablo Neruda (I Confess, I Have Lived).

 In the summer of 2007, Ray started a music theater company, Voice Afire Pocket Opera and Cabaret, and produced three shows, each reflecting a particular passion of the composer/arranger. Viva Pablo Neruda (I Confess, I Have Lived) is based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Butterfly’s Trouble is an re-invention of Puccini’s great masterpiece. Close Embrace relives the Golden Age of Argentine Tango and includes 8 performers: a Master of Ceremonies, 2 dancers, 4 musicians, and a singer.

 From 1981-2010 Ray served as Associate Principal Clarinet of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2010 Ray moved back to New York City.

  • ACE Publications

    110 title(s)
    Composer Title SCORING/INSTRUMENTATION Year
    Raymond Luedeke NOCTURNAL VARIATIONS
    ww qnt:1-1-1-1,hn
    Raymond Luedeke NORTH WIND'S GIFT orch:2-2/eh-2-2, 4-2-3-1,timp,2perc,pf,str
    Raymond Luedeke OF HIM I LOVE DAY & NIGHT; A NOISELESS PATIENT SPIDER
    satb,sax qrt(satb),cb,2perc
    Raymond Luedeke OSCAR EXCERPTS: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
    Raymond Luedeke OVERTURE TO WILLIAM TELL, arr. excerpt for oboe and cello oboe, cello
    Raymond Luedeke PAPRIKA
    bsn,vcl
    Raymond Luedeke PICTURES FROM BREUGHEL
    msop,bar,wwqnt
    Raymond Luedeke PRAYER FOR THE EARTH 2 FL (PICC), OBOE, ENG HN, CL, B CL, BSN/CON BSN, 4.2.3.1 BRASS, TIMP, STRINGS, SATB CHORUS DIVIDED INTO FULL AND CHAMBER CHOIRS
    Raymond Luedeke Prayers, Poems, and Incantations for the Earth
    SSATTBB and Treble Choir
    Raymond Luedeke PROMENADE
    HORN, BASS CLARINET
    Raymond Luedeke QUESTIONS (LAS PREGUNTAS)
    fl, vla, cb, optional narrator
    Raymond Luedeke RAGTIME
    ww qnt:1-1-1-1,hn
    Raymond Luedeke SERENITY ACCORDION, B-FLAT CLARINET or Soprano Sax
    Raymond Luedeke SERENADE
    ob,vcl,pf
    Raymond Luedeke SHADOW MUSIC
    orch: 2-2-2-2; 4-2-3-1; timp, perc; str
    Raymond Luedeke SILENCE!
    perc & mmb(or vc, or ob,or fl,or cl, or vla, or vcl)
    Raymond Luedeke SONATA FOR VIOLA & PIANO
    vla,pf
    Raymond Luedeke SOUNDSCAPES, for Band band:pic-4-2-Ebcl- 4-bcl,-cbcl-2-4sax,4-4-3-btbn-2euph-2, 5perc
    Raymond Luedeke STRING QUARTET
    str qrt 2-1-1
    Raymond Luedeke SUITE for Brass Trio
    brass trio (hn, tpt, tbn)
    Raymond Luedeke SUITE FROM TALES OF THE NETSILIK
    Raymond Luedeke TALES OF THE NETSILIK (CONTES ET LEGENDES NETSILIK) narr & orch:2-2-2-2,4-2-3-1,timp,2perc,pf/cel,hp,str
    Raymond Luedeke Tango Dreams
    pno
    Raymond Luedeke Tango Dreams - Quartet version
    accordion, vln, vla, vcl
    Raymond Luedeke TANGO DREAMS - Quintet version accordion, clarinet, and string trio
    accordion, clarinet in A, violin, viola, cello

    Additional Works

    Lyon & Healy
    Fairy Tales - flute, harp